Morning walks and hearty stews: Could living like a medieval peasant be the key to surviving winter?

With our central heating, multipacks of woollen socks and microwavable hot water bottles, we should be prepared to survive anything winter throws at us. Yet, looking back in history, there’s another era that arguably did it better. 

Historian and novelist EL Johnson has been researching medieval life since gaining two master’s degrees in the subject and throughout her work has noticed how in tune medieval people were to the winter seasons. In fact, she says winter back in the 1500s was a “great” time of fun and games that centred people’s wellbeing more than we do today.  

“Seasonal living was more intentional than today because it had to be,” she says, explaining that wintry weather meant fields could not be worked so people had no choice but to slow down and relax indoors, keeping warm trying to conserve energy to get them through cold nights. But far from a struggle, because of this, “in terms of wellbeing, medieval living may have been better for ordinary people’s mental health.”  

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This is because humans are meant to slow down in the winter, not fight it with new tech like we do today.

Senior mental health therapist Shelly Dar says it is an annual cycle she sees clearly among her clients, who come to her citing downturns in energy, motivation and mood in the winter.  

“Our body clocks are set by light,” she explains. “As daylight reduces in autumn and winter, melatonin (the sleep hormone) is released earlier in the day. This naturally shifts us toward lower energy, earlier tiredness and the need for more rest.” So, she adds, it’s due to “biology, not laziness”. 

“The more we resist these rhythms, pushing through, overworking, or expecting ourselves to perform as we do in summer, the more we feel anxious, exhausted or inadequate,” she adds. So while it might feel guilt-inducing to slow down, we should adapt and give into these seasonal changes, just as medieval people did. To do this, she recommends four winter activities:

1. Touch grass

Morning walks, or even just brief time outside, to steady your body clock. Grab your thermos, wrap up warm and enjoy the feel of cool air on your face, rather staying indoors in stagnant air and artificial light.  

2. Change your pace

Slow evening rituals, such as reading, journaling, knitting. Set the cosy mood with low lamp light and candles, maybe even an open fire, and keep off screens which wreak havoc with our internal body clocks.  

Eat warm, grounding foods like wholesome soups and stews. There’s a reason these are winter staples, as they not only bring warmth but also fill the body with much-needed nutrition and energy. In place of hard exercise done early in the morning before work, or hastily rushed after shifts, slow down with gentle exercise such as walking, yoga or stretching. 

These might sound like modern activities to boost wellbeing, but they were mainstays in the daily lives of medieval people. Walking in the morning to check on land and livestock was necessary after harsh nights, as were slow evening tasks such as sewing, reading (mostly of the bible) or writing letters to family and friends. 

“People told stories, played games, did weaving, spinning, cooking and preserved food,” Johnson says as she paints a lively picture of winter life in medieval times, with entire villages joining in with the type of community gatherings our phones and apps have all but replaced.  

3. Live it up

“Social gatherings like feasts, festivals and market days were ways to keep cheerful during the winter months,” she adds, explaining that there was plenty of time for people to do this as no one really worked over the cold season. 

In wealthy households, singers, musicians, wrestlers or actors might perform, but Johnson’s favourite medieval activity is the bean game. 

“A bean would be baked into a cake and people attending a feast at a lord’s manor would each receive cakes,” she explains. “Whoever found the bean was ‘king of the bean’ and in a light-hearted way, ruled over the feast.” 

They would also enjoy sledding and snowball fights, and decorate their homes with greenery, branches and sprigs of bay and holly. Repair jobs on tools were also done in the cold months, and livestock would often be brought into homes to share the heat. Perhaps emulate this by cuddling up with a pet, rather than sourcing your own cow to take up the living room, though.  

4. Acquire some medieval winter habits

• On a crisp, cold morning, head into the countryside or to a nearby landmark such as a castle or ancient monument, and forage for leafy branches to decorate your house. 

• Gather friends for a dinner party and play the bean game – extra points for medieval-inspired fancy dress. 

• Try your hand at preserving food by pickling your favourite veg – rubbing two parts sugar to one part salt over sliced vegetables and keeping them refrigerated in a jar of white wine vinegar (maybe even in nature’s great fridge, outside).  

• Gather friends and family around a fire to tell stories, read aloud or made up on the spot. For
  the musicians among us, try turning your stories into songs.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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